Fans will get to root for their team in Oakland one more season

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A television cameraman records the Oakland Raiders as they play the New York Jets at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group Archives)

Fans watch as the Oakland Raiders play the New York Jets at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group Archives)

Fans watch as the Oakland Raiders play the New York Jets at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group Archives)

OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 24: The Oakland Raiders host the Denver Broncos in what may be their final game ever at the Oakland Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., Monday, Dec. 24, 2018. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group Archives)

An Oakland Raiders fan holds up his sign during the Raiders game against the Denver Broncos in the first quarter of their NFL game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 24, 2018. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

Fans watch as the Oakland Raiders play the New York Jets at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group Archives)

Raiders fans rejoice after a touchdown in the first half of the Oakland Raiders vs. New York Jets game at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 1, 2015. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)

Oakland Coliseum complex (Karl Mondon, STAFF FILE)

A view of the Coliseum is seen from the hills above 73rd Avenue in East Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Jan. 14, 2019. The Oakland Athletics have pitched a redevelopment plan for the Coliseum site. (Jane Tyska/Bay Area News Group)

Napoleon Harris #58 of the Oakland Raiders greets fans in the stands as he enters the stadium before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 26, 2004 at Network Associates Coliseum in Oakland, California. The Raiders defeated the Buccaneers 30-20. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

OAKLAND, CA – DECEMBER 24: An Oakland Raiders fan holds up his sign during the Raiders game against the Denver Broncos in the first quarter of their NFL game at the Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, Dec. 24, 2018. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group)

The first Oakland Raiders game is played at the newly dedicated Oakland – Alameda County Coliseum on Sept. 18, 1966. (Russ Reed/Bay Area News Group Archives)

OAKLAND — Raiders fans will get to root for their team in Oakland one more season — if they haven’t yet sworn off the Silver and Black.

After months of searching for a temporary home, owner Mark Davis settled on the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum after reaching a lease deal with East Bay officials. The Coliseum Stadium Authority board at its Friday meeting voted unanimously to approve the lease extension.

The Raiders will pay $7.5 million, plus $750,000 they owe from previous parking fees, to play nine home games this season in Oakland where they have a devoted fan base. The rent would increase to $10.5 million if the team exercises an option year for 2020, a provision added in case construction of the team’s new $1.84 billion, 62,228-seat stadium in Las Vegas stalls. As part of the agreement, the team pays $525,000 rent for its practice facility in Alameda and is allowed to continue using it for 36 months after relocating to Nevada. The Raiders won’t share naming rights revenue in 2019 if the Coliseum finds a corporate sponsor.

Stadium authority Executive Director Scott McKibben said the city and county will collect $2 million in revenue in 2019, due in part to the rent increase and a cap on game-day spending. Stadium board President and Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley agreed the terms were favorable.

“It’s a better deal for the joint powers authority. It’s a better deal for the taxpayers as well,” Miley said.

Oakland City Council and Alameda County supervisors still need to approve the deal, but its unlikely either board would reject it, although some still harbor hard feelings over the team’s move — its second desertion of the East Bay city.

Clearly frustrated, Oakland Councilman Larry Reid told a video blogger that the “only reason I’m here today is because of the loyal diehard” fans. Reid had worked closely with a group put together by NFL Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott to arrange a proposal to keep the Raiders in Oakland. Davis ultimately chose Las Vegas and $750 million in public money — the most ever offered to build a professional sports stadium.

“I think the Raiders did the city an injustice,” said Reid, whose council district includes the Coliseum. “This is the second time the Raiders have just stepped on these diehard Raider fans that have loved and worshiped them, and now they are off to Las Vegas. I take issue with that.”

The Raiders are expected to vacate after the 2019 season because the construction of southern Nevada’s domed stadium has not experienced any delays or budget overruns, according to a Dec. 31 Las Vegas Stadium Authority status report. The stadium is scheduled to be finished by July 31, 2020.

But the option for a second season would help avoid a similar mess as in recent months when the Raiders went searching for a temporary home.

In December, team officials backed out of negotiations to play the 2019 season at the Coliseum after Oakland leaders filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the team and NFL. City officials said they had hoped to win millions in damages to help pay off $75 million in debt remaining from stadium renovations made to accommodate the Raiders’ return to the East Bay in 1995. Sale of personal seat licenses were supposed to pay off bonds, but the money never materialized.

Because of the legal spat, it seemed the Raiders had played their final game in Oakland with a season-ending 27-14 victory over the Denver Broncos on Dec. 24.

Raiders executives then spent the next two months searching for a temporary home. Davis negotiated with the 49ers over using Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara before settling on playing at Oracle Park, the new name for the Giants’ stadium in San Francisco. The deal with the Giants unraveled when the 49ers declined to waive their territorial rights, forcing Davis to return to negotiations with the Coliseum Stadium Board that manages the Oakland sports facilities off of Interstate 880.

The Raiders also looked at the possibility of playing in San Diego and Reno — and even London, where they will face the Chicago Bears in 2019. Then there was the idea of playing all games on the road for the team’s 60th anniversary. Most recently, Birmingham, Alabama, and Tucson, Arizona, joined the circus by publicly suggesting they could combine to play host to the team’s 2019 home games.

Some fans weren’t exactly running to the season ticket box office Friday.

“I have not watched a game in about two years,” said Raymond “Dr. Death” Perez, who used to have season tickets.

Kenny Mellor, of Save Oakland Sports and a fan since the late 60s, was happy the team is staying for another year but isn’t sure he’ll buy his usual package of season tickets.

“I really lost some enthusiasm last year,” said Mellor, of Pleasanton. “I’m still debating about whether to get all four of my tickets.”

Some fans’ reluctance to indulge is understandable. The team left Oakland once before, playing at the Los Angeles Coliseum from 1982-94 before former owner Al Davis brought the Silver and Black back to the Bay Area in time for the 1995 season. It has been a rocky time on the field and off since then. The team is 88-104 during that span, having reached one Super Bowl — a 48-21 defeat in 2002 to a Tampa Bay team coached by the Raiders’ former and current coach Jon Gruden.

Since the Super Bowl appearance, the team has shuffled through nine coaches — who can forget Bill Callahan, Norv Turner, Lane Kiffin, Tom Cable, Dennis Allen and Tony Sparano? — before re-hiring Gruden.

Davis, who did not return a call seeking comment, has had as much frustration in dealing with East Bay officials as his father did over the quality of the stadium.

Four years ago, the Raiders and the San Diego Chargers announced that they would build a privately financed $1.78 billion stadium in Carson if NFL owners allowed them to move to Los Angeles.

But the St. Louis Rams also lobbied to relocate to Southern California. In the end, NFL owners granted the Rams and Chargers permission to move, leading Davis to eventually work out a deal in Las Vegas.

Raiders executives did not attend Friday’s meeting and declined to comment.

David DeBolt is a reporter for the Bay Area News Group who covers Oakland. DeBolt grew up in the Bay Area and has worked for daily newspapers in Palo Alto, Fairfield and Walnut Creek. He joined the organization in 2012.